Documentary, 19 Minutes, 2018

Phosphorus, the most critical element in modern agriculture, has been acquired through phosphate mining in Florida for over a century, but Florida’s phosphate is quickly running out. When it is gone, the United States will be dependent on phosphate imports.

A new source of phosphate is discovered in North Florida that could extend America’s phosphate supply. Local land owners are determined to mine it, but environmentalists vow to stop them before they can begin. The environmentalists point to Central Florida, where strip mining for phosphate has polluted water and air for decades.

A county permit is all that stands in the way of the strip mining project. The fight between mineral security and a healthy environment embroils two rural counties in North Florida, where the future of American phosphate mining will be determined by a few public servants.

Images

Producers

Alan Toth

His short film on human-lion conflict appeared in The Atlantic Selects, a series of short films curated by The Atlantic Magazine.

His feature documentary Posh Corps chronicled the experiences of Peace Corps Volunteers in South Africa as they struggled to be helpful in a rapidly changing country. The film screened at universities around the country and at USAID headquarters in Washington D.C. It has become an unofficial guide and for Peace Corps Volunteers around the world.

Laura Newberry

Laura is a writer from Central Florida. She worked as an environment and education reporter in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts with a special interest in environmental and human rights reporting.

Laura is a metro reporter with the Los Angeles Times. Her work has also appeared in the Tampa Bay Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, the East Bay Express, the Indianapolis Star, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Orlando Sentinel and others.